Spot for school/work outside the lot needs adjustement on some lots
Im playing a household in henford, the big 50x40 lot on the right with a big family. When someone needs to do the dishes they sometimes grab them from the dining table which is right next to the sink in the kitchen, walk to the next room and place it on the table. Then another sim comes and goes to the next room, a bathroom, and does the dishes there. This will be relevant later. I have no clue why they interrupt the first attempt to do the dishes but thats not relevant right now. Whats relevant is they choose the bathrom because that sink is closer than the one in the kitchen.
Now the kids need to go to school. They walk out, walk around the house to one specific spot and vanish for school. Same with the adult who goes to work. The problem is it takes very long for the sims to walk there because running isnt a thing for such actions. See screenshot 1.
Normally the solution would be to turn the lot by 45 degrees. Unfortunately I chose a lot thats 50x40 and its fully utilized from the start. The designed entrance came during the first contruction of the lot. I only discovered very much later after the house and grounds were pretty much done that the sims take a long walk around the house and disappear at the "enforced" entrance to the lot. My solution was to create a small side entrance to cut down the detour by about two third. Not really acceptable to have that spot dictate how I build.
Today I decided to move the entire house to a similar lot in another world in the hopes to find one that accomodates my design & theme without forcing the sims to walk around the house to go to school.
First try, the 50x50 lot in tortosa. I placed the lot in the direction of the main street next to the lot. The sims walked all around the house to go to school. My solution was to turn the house by 90 degrees. See screenshot 2. But the car not being able to be used (yes, we cant use it but the theme includes one) triggered me every time I looked at that area of the lot. Not acceptable. So we moved again.
Btw, solar panels on the roof disappeared. Werent saved apparently.
Second try, the 50x40 lot in copperdale. Most obvious placement of the house was with the entrance pointing away from the ocean. The sims walked half around the house to go to school. Turning the lot wouldnt help but make it worse. See screenshot 3.
The lot is turned by 45 degrees on the copperdale map but is correctly turned while in build/live mode. I had this problem a long time ago in granite falls which was solved by loading each lot. But I loaded this lot several times already and nothing changed.
Solar panels on the roof disappeared again when placing.
At some point I thought "why a fixed point? Why not have a similar routing mechanic like for washing dishes? Leave the house, use the only opening in the fence, search for the closest border of the lot and vanish there? It works for dishes".
Third try, the 50x50 lot in willow creek in the upper left corner next to the other 50x50 lot thats by default a park. Finally! The sims left for school at the street after they leave from the main entrance to the nearest border of the lot without walking half around the house.
Solar panels on the roof disappeared again when placing.
I dont like to select lots based on how they accomodate sims leaving for school/work and returning. I wanted my lot in henford. Now to avoid being triggered by this every sims day I have to keep the house in willow creek. For now.
The park on the left in henford doesnt work for me even though the lot size fits because its a huge park, not a living area. The 64x64 lot at the center of henford doesnt work either. I dont want to sacrifice that kind of lot to accomodate a smaller build.
Oasis springs has two lots of the right size but the wrong theme for my build.
I cant use the 50x40 lot in newcrest because my oldest house is occupying that already. It would probably work there but its working for the current house so not an option.
Windenburg has two maximum size lots but one is already occupied and the other is on an island.
San myschuno as only one big lot and I dont want to give up my darkmoon faire there. It just fits too good.
The only big lot in brindleton bay is way to big for my build.
Selvadorada has the wrong forrest type.
The big lot in granite falls would be an option too (thanks zerbu for residential vacation worlds) but a modern huge flat in the woods? Nah.
One of the two 50x40 lots in the upper right of del sol valley would work too but I wanted a rather green environment, not this yellow nightmare at a cliffside or the downtown area.
Strangervill has a big lot too but its a desert. With spore rain. And no woods or trees.
Best alternative could have been the big 50x50 lot on the right in sulani but there is a great build already. Nice and green but not countryside enough. Too bad.
The big wakabamori lot in komorebi has the right size but the themes (japanese & modern black) clash epically.
Similar clash in moonwood mill.
Magnolia promenade, forgotten hollow, glimmerbrook, britechester and evergreen harbor dont have lots big enough.
You see the problem? Im forced to adjust my builds to accomodate this one mechanic thats interfering with gameplay. All of that may sound picky but its not unreasonable because these are normal thoughts when deciding where to build what kind of houses. I shouldnt have to explain to the sim kids why they have to walk half around the lot to get to school when the exit should be right next to the only hole in the fence or why they had to move so many times today.
After lots of consideration I decided to remove the house in henford on the upper right, next to the original lot of the house. It works for my build but Im not happy that I have no lot for the house I just removed because that too doesnt have the entrance on the right side. But at least now the solar panels didnt vanish again.
A simple solution would be to place one such spot for school & work on each side of the lot. At least this way leaving for school & work wouldnt cause the sims to be late. Then the game would have to remember which spot is used and voila. We could build how we want without this inconvenience.
